[NorestRDS]

i carry the ka-bar tdi everyday and love the comfort and conceal ability it provides. however it is a damn small knife for something if i ever needed to turn offensive from being defensive. also i can keep and edge on it cause of the thickness of the steel.

i want something larger . preferably something in the combat look and feel with a variety in models such as half serrated , fully , tanto ETC. but it needs to be small enough to conceal with average fitting clothing . day in day out . no survial or mollee esq sheaths though. any suggestions . im willing to spend a little but im not a knife enthusiast in the slightest and this will simply be a SD knife i may never use.

[ArfinGreebly]

Boy, lots of factors.

Disclaimer: using a knife for self defense has been discussed here many times, and there is no shortage of reasons to avoid knife fighting. I will not attempt to enumerate those things here beyond saying that you want to seriously think this through.

Are you a big guy? Do you have big hands? Small hands?

How's your upper body strength?

What kind of training do you already have? What kind of training are you planning to get?

What kind of clothing do you wear? Jeans? Slacks? Cargo pants? Shirt tucked in? Shirt hanging out?

Are you thinking of using a fixed blade for this? Is a folding knife worth considering?

Oh, do you know what the Pennsylvania laws are regarding this? Local ordinances where you live?

What kind of work do you do? Desk job? Warehouse? Outdoor work? Taxi/bus/limo driver?

Does your employer have special rules about knife carry?

- - - - -

Now, without knowing any of this stuff, I can still make very general recommendations, but they would be very fuzzy.

Pretty much all of the "combat" patterns of my acquaintance would be -- for an average-built guy -- quite hard to conceal in any meaningful way.

I would, personally, avoid a "combat" design, and go with something that looks more "outdoor & field" for a purpose like this.

Moreover, I'd probably be looking for a flat-ish folding knife with a stout blade that I could open one-handed (local laws and ordinances permitting), as I can actually keep something like that out of sight without walking like I've gone lame.

Give us some guidance on your situation, and I think we can do a better job of recommending something.

However, I still recommend a search of self-defense threads in this forum.

[Wildfire]

Hey there ;
You may also want to check out the law on that one. Not sure about your state. Michigan ? CCW is handgun only. No knifves. Two edge'd are also ilegal in some places.

I totally agree with the Mod.

[NorestRDS]

Are you a big guy? Do you have big hands? Small hands? 5''8' 165lbs not bad hand size

How's your upper body strength? not incredibly strong no.

What kind of training do you already have? took a few civillian knife classes at fort dix and have a few knife fighting videos i have played around with , no real life experiance

What kind of clothing do you wear? Jeans? Slacks? Cargo pants? Shirt tucked in? Shirt hanging out? all of the above except shirt always hanging out . i would consider it loose fitting clothing but not baggy . i protect the ka-bar tdi carry when lifting high so that should tell you length

Are you thinking of using a fixed blade for this? Is a folding knife worth considering? i carry a husky folding razor for work and a can of OC in the other so another pocket knife is out.

Oh, do you know what the Pennsylvania laws are regarding this? Local ordinances where you live? In PA the only restrictions are to "daggers" which i was told is essentially a double bladed knife where both are sharpened.

What kind of work do you do? Desk job? Warehouse? Outdoor work? Taxi/bus/limo driver? I work a warehouse job lots of climbing , Jumping , reaching up , bending down and lots of awareness on my part to protect the knife from being viewed as is,

Does your employer have special rules about knife carry? No rules , nothing has ever been said . i have used my current fixed blade plenty of times so far with no comments or gasps or over reacters saying anything. even though i want an upgrade in size and quility i dont want to be walking around with a rambo knife on my side. i want something where i could explain more then one purpose for the knife besides cutting through a a table leg .

[hso]

Look at Bud Neely's work. He's built knives for carry that are intended to be nearly undetectable. Mass manufacturers have produced his designs and you can find them out there.

If you want a knife for SD don't be using it for something else. It will be dull when you "need" it. Carry a utility knife for the D2D choirs.

There's not a thing wrong with the TDI. There's also no reason to expect to need a bigger knife if it is kept sharp. As long as your objective is to use the knife to escape a deadly confrontation it will do fine. Just study it's use. Save your money and go to TDI and take a course from John in how to optimize the use of his knife in SD.

[NorestRDS]

right now im looking at the Boker Plus MPT Black . Looks kinda dressed up though . I also cant seem to find a picture of the sheath to see how it rides on a belt . good price for a good looking knife that is pretty much the style im looking at . Any up close experiance with it?



http://www.boker.de/us/images/gross/02bo592.jpg

[hso]

http://www.knivesplus.com/media/BK-BO592.jpg

Cliplock on polymer sheath.

[8830]

I've carried Cold Steel Kobun IWB while working in a warehouse and no one knew it was there. I've also used a RAT3 which is a good knife.

[NorestRDS]

I've carried Cold Steel Kobun IWB while working in a warehouse and no one knew it was there. I've also used a RAT3 which is a good knife.

those are both right up my alley . the RAT3 sheath looks a little bulgy though .

[Biker]

I know you're looking for a fixed blade, but it's hard to beat the ol' tried and tested Buck 110. After a bit of 'loosening up', it can be quickly opened with one hand. It can also serve as a fine kuboton in a pinch.

JMO...

Biker

[pictoblu]

"...this will simply be a SD knife i may never use..."



Have you considered taking a self defense class? Seriously, if you know the art of self defense, the tdi is perfectly adequate. Unless it's a gunfight. Don't be taking a knife to a gunfight.

I like the LaGriffe and Ramey's titanium neckers.

[jahwarrior]

be warned: the laws in PA are intentionally fuzzy, and aren't covered under UFA law. that leave room for local ordinances to vary from county to county, so what's legal in, say, Delaware county might not be legal in Lackawanna county.

that said, a don't think a bigger knife has much advantage over a smaller fixed blade, other than range. but if you're using it in a defensive/offensive situation, range is pretty much negated, because to use a knife, you have to be within arm's length, anyway. stick with a smaller fixed blade, to avoid legal trouble later on.

[JShirley]

Don't be taking a knife to a gunfight.


This is an overused truism, but it's not necessarily true. As a defender, distance is your friend. Depending on distance and other variables, a blade in the right hands is a very effective tool.

I'm mostly really trying to say, don't underestimate a knife, but in general, other defensive options are usually better.

John

[NorestRDS]

...this will simply be a SD knife i may never use..."



Have you considered taking a self defense class? Seriously, if you know the art of self defense, the tdi is perfectly adequate. Unless it's a gunfight. Don't be taking a knife to a gunfight.


not to sound like a tough guy but i have been fighting my whole life. I have always lived in an area where weapons violence was not the norm but there was always trouble to get in . i have been in well over 50 one on one street fights and havent lost more then 10 . like i said im not trying to be a tough guy but i have had my experiance .

That being said im 1 month away from being 25 now married for 4 years and i dont like getting in fights now cause i dont want to make my wife a widow.

im a huge believer in distance and prevention . A gun , A knife , A Can of OC and flashlight has been my everyday carry now for 3 years . As opposed to a pair of brass knuckles or a slapjack i use to carry knowing i was going out to get in a fight that night.

Im not even usually the aggressor i ust have something about my demeanor that attracts verbal and physical confrontations and now i dont like playing them out . I want to end them and i understand these things i carry now are not weapons but tools to get me home every night to my wife and dogs.

I pray i never have to use a knife or a gun , but i have mentally and physically prepared myself to . I understand the concept of fighting with weapons better then most that have been trained b